[Info-vax] Alphaserver service/repair recommendations

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2016-02-14 01:01:24 +0000, rcyoung said:

> Update: error message noted before is back....infinitely 
> repeating.......with no drives in system.

Nobody is going to service this box cheaply.   Unfortunately, at least 
some of the savings from having this ~twenty-year-old computer not 
covered under a service contract just came due, obviously.

660 is a machine check from somewhere external to the processor.   Time 
to play mastermind with the parts that you have, and see if you can 
localize the error to some component, by swapping memory, etc.

Downside: playing mastermind here might fry more ports.

Downside: those old putty-colored SCSI disk bricks may fail when 
powered down, or when powered up, or when simply stared at.

Downside: even doing a backup on one of these boxes has killed disks 
and has killed tape drives.   This from direct experience.

Fire up the local Windows 3.1 or Windows NT system and start reading 
the available service documentation: 
http://h18002.www1.hp.com/alphaserver/archive/2000/2000_service.html

Maybe in association with 
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_win3 — assuming XP or 
something else slightly less ancient won't work with those cab files, 
of course.

Semi-related configuration information: 
http://manx.classiccmp.org/collections/antonio/dec/MDS-2000-01/cd1/ALPHA/EV450INB.PDF 


Or get going on your port to some newer Alpha — probably a DS20 or 
DS20e would be a good fit here — or to Itanium, or port to emulation, 
or port off of OpenVMS.

There are some spare AlphaServer 2100 boxes on eBay right now and one — 
in Germany — reportedly works.   Won't be cheap to ship to your area, 
though.

Check with the folks at HPE about what license transfer programs they 
might still offer.   They were offering at least a transfer over to 
emulation, and may still.

Or get going on your port to Itanium if you have source code and/or 
what you have can be translated — VSI may well offer a license discount 
for their upcoming V8.4-2 release, too.


-- 
Pure Personal Opinion | HoffmanLabs LLC